My cat is cheating on me...

Kathy535

I have 4 cats, two sets of siblings aged 11 and 9.5yrs. We got the younger two when the elders were 1.5yrs old. Older female didn't really take to them but has settled down over time and things are generally calm although there are the occasional spats as they sort out the pecking order. They all have free access to outside.

Anyway, older female has always been a wanderer but is rarely gone for more than 36 hrs. Last week she was gone for 3 days and came back late one evening. She didn't seem hungry (as she normally would) but ate her supper and went straight out again to disappear for another 48 hrs. Each time she's come back smelling of someone else's house (if that makes sense, normally she smells of outside or of shed - either grassy or musty, this time she smelled of air freshener).

Even when she is around she doesn't stay for long, usually she goes to her favourite spot and snoozes before setting off on the next intrepid adventure.

I don't really know what to do. If she's found another part time home where she's an only cat (something I'm sure she'd prefer) I don't want to stop her going but I don't like the idea either, despite her naughty tortie ways we love her very much. I did think of putting a collar on her asking whoever to call me but previous experience of collars suggests it won't last more than 5 mins.

What would you do?

arbroath_lass

I'd put a collar on her. Our pound shop normally has two webbing collars with safety clasps for £1. Even if she loses them you can replace them immediately. At least the other person will know she belongs somewhere and you can add a note if you like.

paddypaws101

A slightly differently worded version of this maybe?
http://www.rspca.org.uk/ImageLocator/LocateAsset?asset=document&assetId=1232713940137&mode=prd

Blackbeard_of_Perranporth

Oh no, cat chooses new owners.

Come on there, you should know, you do not own a cat. They own YOU!

Artytarty

Mine was a cheater too, he came back smelling of another woman's perfume!

Blackbeard_of_Perranporth

We had one, female, right madame, who chose another house rather than ours. She would watch gleefully from their bedroom window as we prepared the food and be through the flap before Jack Robinson was called.

And then there was the tom cat, George, who would finish his plate, jump over the back fence, and in through the flap, and get fed elsewhere. You cannot keep the blighters down!

Kathy535

I think I will put a collar on her, thanks for the advice about the pound shops and I like the wording suggested (and amended). She has a heart murmur we discovered in the autumn, so if nothing else her possible new owners should know she might turn out to be a very expensive find!

Blackbeard_of_Perranporth

Aye, we put a collar on Monty.

He ripped it off.

We put it on him again.

BoPsie got scratched.

We left it at that.

Kathy535

We spent a fortune on collars for the 4 of them in the early days. Eventually we gave up.

RuthnJasper

I once read in a QI book that, in the USA, there are eight times more people who claim to own a cat than there are actual cats in existence in the States! Cheeky cats; they know their onions. One day they'll enslave us all.

As the saying goes - Dogs have owners; cats have staff.

Good luck with it though. x

spike241

RuthnJasper wrote: »

I once read in a QI book that, in the USA, there are eight times more people who claim to own a cat than there are actual cats in existence in the States!

That's insane! Especially when you factor in multi-cat households.